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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to suicide reporting by hospitals and emergency medical |
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care facilities. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 108.002, Health and Safety Code, is |
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amended by adding Subdivisions (1-a) and (8-b) and amending |
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Subdivisions (8-a) and (12) to read as follows: |
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(1-a) "Attempted suicide" means a self-inflicted, |
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destructive act committed with explicit or inferred intent to die. |
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(8-a) "Emergency medical care facility" means a |
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freestanding emergency medical care facility licensed under |
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Chapter 254. |
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(8-b) "Executive commissioner" means the executive |
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commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission. |
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(12) "Hospital" means a public, for-profit, or |
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nonprofit institution licensed or owned by this state that is a |
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general or special hospital, private mental hospital, chronic |
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disease hospital, or other type of hospital. The term includes a |
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hospital's emergency room. |
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SECTION 2. Chapter 108, Health and Safety Code, is amended |
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by adding Section 108.0101 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 108.0101. COLLECTION AND DISSEMINATION OF ATTEMPTED |
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SUICIDE INFORMATION. (a) The department shall collect information |
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regarding an attempted suicide by a patient examined by a hospital |
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or emergency medical care facility. |
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(b) Notwithstanding Sections 108.006(b)(3) and 108.009(f), |
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a hospital or emergency medical care facility shall submit a report |
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regarding a patient's attempted suicide not later than the 30th day |
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after the date the hospital or emergency medical care facility |
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examines the patient. |
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(c) Notwithstanding Sections 108.006(b)(3) and 108.009(f), |
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a hospital or emergency medical care facility shall report to the |
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department any month when the hospital or facility had zero |
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attempted suicides during the month. The report must be in the form |
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prescribed by the department and submitted not later than the 15th |
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day of the following month. |
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(d) A person who submits a report of an attempted suicide |
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under this section or examines or treats an attempted suicide |
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reported under this section may not be held civilly or criminally |
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liable for complying with the requirements of this section. |
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(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, |
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reports, records, and information obtained or developed by the |
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department under this section are confidential and are not subject |
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to disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code, are not subject |
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to subpoena, and may not otherwise be released or made public except |
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as provided by this section. |
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(f) Each quarter, at the request of an agency or |
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organization with recognized expertise in suicide prevention, the |
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department shall release information reported under this section, |
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in the form of a statistical report, to the agency or organization. |
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The statistical report must be released in a manner that prevents |
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the identification of any person. The department may charge the |
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agency or organization a reasonable fee to offset the costs of |
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releasing the statistical report. The agency or organization may |
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use information contained in a statistical report received under |
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this subsection only for suicide prevention purposes. |
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(g) Information collected under this section may be |
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released for statistical purposes if released in a manner that |
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maintains patient confidentiality as provided by Section 108.013. |
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(h) The executive commissioner may adopt rules necessary to |
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implement this section. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |